For some, fishing is seen as little more than a relaxing pastime that lets them get away from the stresses and strains of everyday life. For others, it is something that they get competitive over, desperate to ensnare the best catch that they can.

Everyone that eats fish, whether it be from the chippy or at the best restaurants in the world, is dependent on people who go fishing on a regular basis, regardless of whether that’s the one-off fishermen and women or the industrial-scale outfits.

Whichever bracket it is that you fit into, one of the best ways to learn about the world of fishing is to sit down and watch a documentary on the subject.

Seaspiracy

If you want to know more about the impact on the environment that is caused by fishing, this is the place to start. Directed by Ali Tabrizi, who also appears in the film, Seaspiracy looks at the human impact on marine life whilst also advocating for the end of the consumption of fish.

From plastic pollution to ghost nets via overfishing by commercial fisheries, the very act of fishing is, the movie argues, destroying the marine ecosystem. Tabrizi also looks to debunk the notion of ‘sustainable fishing’, which is one of the main arguments in favour of the continued practice of fishing but forwarded by those that enjoy the practice.

This is a film that doesn’t shy away from taking on the big fishing organisations head-on, including both the ‘dolphin safe’ label that the Earth Island Institute offers and the ‘sustainable seafood’ certification that the Marine Stewardship Council gives out.

Heading from Asia to Europe and back again, Tabrizi attempts to frame each of his revelations as being more shocking than the previous one, but some viewers may feel as though the entire thing is a cheap imitation of hard-hitting journalism rather than the real thing. The director has his view, so there’s no point coming to this hoping for a balanced explanation of the topic.

The Complete Angler

In 1653, Izaak Walton wrote a book entitled The Compleat Angler, which is usually modernised to The Complete Angler. He also looked to add to the book repeatedly over the following 25 years or so offering a celebration of the art of fishing. The book, which was published after the end of the English Civil War, looked to paint a picture of harmony away from the political turbulence that was occurring at the time.

If you’re reading all of that and thinking that sitting down and reading a book from the 17th century isn’t really what you’re in this for, then you don’t need to worry; there is a film by the same name based on the novel.

Made in 2002, The Complete Angler follows the work of James Prosek as he looks to live a simple life, incorporating the very philosophies that Walton espoused in his book. Given the fact that the work of Walton is as much about philosophy as it is about fishing, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that the film following Prosek takes a similar such journey.

A student at Yale at the time, Prosek left the United States of America in order to head to England and Ireland to follow in the footsteps of Walton, fishing in many of the same streams that he had done. He even practised a form of fly-fishing that Walton himself would have done.

Low and Clear

The truth about films in general is that they are almost always about so much more than they appear to be on the surface. Anyone who has watched Jaws will know that it isn’t about the shark, for example. There is a similar thing going on with Low and Clear, which follows two formerly close friends as they meet up for one last fishing trip together.

Although the fishing obviously takes centre stage, it is what is happening away from the rivers that is key. This is a meditation on friendship and what it is to fall out with someone who was once close to you, as well as being a look at the disappearing wilderness of that part of the United States of America.

Having reunited, the pair begin to realise what it is that has caused their friendship to no longer be what it once was. The film itself avoids the usual clichés that a lot of fishing films are guilty of, with Khalil Hudson and Tyler Hughen, the filmmakers, capturing the human part of J.T. and Xenie that makes them such an interesting character study.

It might sound ordinary and perhaps even a bit boring as a film, but this is likely to intrigue and capture the imagination of even those who have never been fishing before. For those that have, as well as those that have seen friendships drive apart, Low and Clear may well capture something.

Silver King: The Birth of Big-Game Fishing

Prior to 1885, catching a large fish on a simple rod and reel was deemed to be impossible. It was in that year that William Holsey Wood turned up at Tarpon Bay in Florida with just a bamboo rod and some mullet bait and managed to catch a 93-pound tarpon.

It is seen as being a pivotal moment in the history of big-game fishing, making Southwest Florida the epicentre of the pastime whilst also kick-starting a global frenzy of angling. It was a story that captured the attention of the inventor Thomas Edison, as well as both Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover, which no doubt helped to kickstart the popularity of fishing as a sport.

This film looks to explore that historical moment, as well as highlighting the history of the game fish that became the one to catch for everyone. Taking place over an hour, Silver King: The Birth of Big-Game Fishing details the history of angling for tarpon, which results in learning about the story of many of the world of fly fishing’s most famous faces.

Produced by a local PBS station, WGCU, in 2012, it is a film that is likely to delight both those passionate about tarpon and those that are just curious about big game fishing in equal amounts. It is a compelling view, even if it does focus specifically on one type of fish.

Chalk: Bedrock of Fly Fishing

It might not seem like the most compelling subject, but chalk stream rivers are key to the very notion of fly fishing. They are crucial to both the development of the sport and the history of it. The movie offers a thoughtful examination of why the streams of England are possibly the most important rivers in the creation of the sport.

That is partly down to the geology, which resulted in the creation of the plant and animal life that surrounds the rivers, and partly because of the characters from the past who realised the joy of fly fishing as a pastime. Chalk: Bedrock of Fly Fishing is a film that celebrates all aspects of something that became global.

The men who changed fly fishing forever – ‘CHALK – Bedrock of Fly Fishing’ on FishingTV

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— Fishing TV (@FishingTVapp) May 6, 2025

It is fair to say that those that already fish in chalk streams will be fascinated by the movie, whilst those that don’t are liable to take an interest in the subject after watching it. That, of course, is precisely what a good documentary should do. Based over around one and a half hours of footage, you will see some of the most picturesque chalk streams in all of England, which are often inhabited by trout.

Given the fact that this is about the past as well as the present, you will learn plenty about one of the most loved versions of fishing that you can find, meeting the people who still fish in the various rivers that they also look to care for.

Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing

It isn’t the most outrageous thing to say that two old blokes going fishing with one another doesn’t sound like it’s going to be the most exciting bit of television of all time. In the case of Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse, however, you’ve got two stars who are just wonderful to spend time with.

It was in 2015 that Mortimer had to have triple heart bypass surgery, whilst Whitehouse has also had heart problems. Whitehouse discovered that Mortimer wasn’t going out much anymore, so invited him to join him on a fishing trip about which the northeast comedian later said he’d ‘never felt anything like it’, becoming a convert.

Three years later and viewers of the BBC got to experience it for themselves, taking us all on a journey of the two men sharing stories about their lives whilst they engage in the gentle world of fishing. In the wake of the first trip together, Mortimer resumed more normal activities, which all of us can be grateful for when you consider his presence in the media ever since.

As with so many other things on this list, Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is a lot less about capturing fish and more about exploring the lives of the people involved. It is an absolute joy to watch that even those with no interest in fishing at all are bound to love.